As part of the Core Values at Mountz, caring about people is a key element to who we are as people. Julisa Avalos, a Mountz Customer Care team member, recently shared a story about her niece, Fernanda, with the Mountz staff. Her niece is battling a deadly disease called Cystic Fibrosis. Fernanda was diagnosed with the disease at a very young age, just 18 months-old. She is now 14 years-old. About a year and a half ago things took a turn for the worse and Fernanda was given less than 2 years to live. She had to move from her home in San Diego up to Palo Alto so she could be close to Stanford Children’s hospital where she was placed on the donor waitlist for a double lung transplant.
Unfortunately things were not getting better and Fernanda and was recently given less than a year to live. The young girl’s hopes were starting to fade, so Fernanda’s therapist wanted to improve her outlook. The therapist spoke with her doctor and they agreed to let Fernanda visit her family in San Diego for a week.
Fernanda and Pluto at Disneyland
Fernanda told her therapist that what she misses is going to Disneyland with her family and that is the first thing she wants to do after her double lung transplant. With Fernanda’s pending trip, her mother wanted to surprise her with a trip to Disneyland on their drive home to San Diego. She wanted Fernanda’s family to join them so they could share that experience together. Unfortunately their budget was going to prevent it as the trip was less than a week away and most of their money is used to support her medical care.
Mountz employees showed why the Core Value “CARE ABOUT PEOPLE” matters as the staff generously donated money in a quick amount of time to help pay for Fernanda’s surprise trip to Disneyland. She and her siblings were able to share a special Disneyland experience together, a memory that will be cherished. Her family also threw a surprise party for her during the visit to San Diego. Horray Fernanda!
